Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and
without fearing to understand things that clash with their customs, privileges,
or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking;
where it is absent, discussion is apt to become worse than useless.
~ Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoi – (1828-1910) Russian writer Source: On Life and Essays on Religion

Free inquiry requires that we tolerate diversity of opinion and that we respect
the right of individuals to express their beliefs, however unpopular they may be,
without social or legal prohibition or fear of success.
~ Paul Kurtz; Source: “A Secular Humanist Declaration,” in On The Barricades, 1989

This is, in theory, still a free country, but our politically correct, censorious
times are such that many of us tremble to give vent to perfectly acceptable views
for fear of condemnation. Freedom of speech is thereby imperiled, big questions
go undebated, and great lies become accepted, unequivocally as great truths.
~ Simon Heffer; Source: Daily Mail, 7 June 2000

"War is a scandal to be mourned every day. We see war in the newspapers ever and we're used to reading about it: the number of its victims is just part of our daily accounts. We hold events to commemorate the centenary of the Great War and everyone is scandalized by the many millions of dead. But today it's the same... instead of one great war, there are small wars everywhere. When we were children in Sunday School and we were told the story of Cain and Abel, we couldn't accept that someone would kill their own brother. And yet today millions kill their own brothers and we're used to it: there are entire peoples divided, killing each other over a piece of land, a racial hatred, an ambition.

Think of the children starving in refugee camps... these are the fruits of war. And then think of the great dining rooms, of the parties held by those who control the arms industry, who produce weapons. Compare a sick, starving child in a refugee camp with the big parties, the good life led by the masters of the arms trade. And remember, that the wars, the hatred, the hostility aren't products we buy at the market: they're right here, in our hearts. The Apostle James gives us a simple piece of advice: 'Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.' But the spirit of war, which draws us away from God, doesn't just reside in distant parts of the world: the spirit of war comes from our own hearts."

- Homily given by Pope Francis at the Casa San Marta on February 25, 2014